The hunt for online biz paradise is similar to poosy paradise, it probably don't exist.
For me the basics of strictly biz related factors needed:
- Warm weather year round or seasonal but with nature around (skiing in winter etc)
- Good value for money, ability to live cheap
- De facto ease of doing business
- Low taxes and strong property rights
- High speed and stable internet
- Good population of online biz people for networking
- Skilled and english speaking population
- Access to venture capital if needed
Few places match those. Thailand matches a lot of them but falls flat on ease of doing business legally and the locals lack skills. There are a lot of people working online though, Bangkok probably has the most of them in the world. Chiang Mai can be dirt cheap, but I have no idea of it would get boring after a while. Philippines has much of the same as Thailand, less legal problems, access to designers, customer support, writing etc at low rates, but is more unstable and noticeable less safe.
Berlin is relatively cheap and a hot spot for startups in IT, good location in the middle of Europe. I've heard that Budapest and other EE countries are on the uprise. Estonia has a big IT sector and very favorable laws and taxes. Southern Spain is an option, weather is nice, can deduct tons of stuff from your taxes. Bali seems to be an overlooked option, the guy from TropicalMBA.com talks about it very positively. Hong Kong and Singapore are excellent on almost all points but very expensive Singapore has a thriving affiliate marketing and online marketing sector. Taiwan is something I looked into and still consider once I leave from my Euro hiatus. Has a good sized tech and software dev sector, good weather, nature etc, reasonable cost of living.
Easiest place to pack your bags and leave on a whim is Thailand. The infrastructure is in place, lots of people have done it before, easy to get setup, but imo can become a trap due to lack of professional culture and legal protection and a temptation to adjust to tropical layabout lifestyle.
I've considered Poland as well, but I very much doubt I'd want to stay in the winter or even Autumn. Of course, you could split your time between the two.
I was in Saigon and really liked it, some great cafes to work from while drinking that local coffee with the caramelized milk. More of an entrepreneurial and growing place than Thailand. Some logistical problems though like healthcare and traffic, so make sure to get insurance at least.
For me the basics of strictly biz related factors needed:
- Warm weather year round or seasonal but with nature around (skiing in winter etc)
- Good value for money, ability to live cheap
- De facto ease of doing business
- Low taxes and strong property rights
- High speed and stable internet
- Good population of online biz people for networking
- Skilled and english speaking population
- Access to venture capital if needed
Few places match those. Thailand matches a lot of them but falls flat on ease of doing business legally and the locals lack skills. There are a lot of people working online though, Bangkok probably has the most of them in the world. Chiang Mai can be dirt cheap, but I have no idea of it would get boring after a while. Philippines has much of the same as Thailand, less legal problems, access to designers, customer support, writing etc at low rates, but is more unstable and noticeable less safe.
Berlin is relatively cheap and a hot spot for startups in IT, good location in the middle of Europe. I've heard that Budapest and other EE countries are on the uprise. Estonia has a big IT sector and very favorable laws and taxes. Southern Spain is an option, weather is nice, can deduct tons of stuff from your taxes. Bali seems to be an overlooked option, the guy from TropicalMBA.com talks about it very positively. Hong Kong and Singapore are excellent on almost all points but very expensive Singapore has a thriving affiliate marketing and online marketing sector. Taiwan is something I looked into and still consider once I leave from my Euro hiatus. Has a good sized tech and software dev sector, good weather, nature etc, reasonable cost of living.
Easiest place to pack your bags and leave on a whim is Thailand. The infrastructure is in place, lots of people have done it before, easy to get setup, but imo can become a trap due to lack of professional culture and legal protection and a temptation to adjust to tropical layabout lifestyle.
I've considered Poland as well, but I very much doubt I'd want to stay in the winter or even Autumn. Of course, you could split your time between the two.
I was in Saigon and really liked it, some great cafes to work from while drinking that local coffee with the caramelized milk. More of an entrepreneurial and growing place than Thailand. Some logistical problems though like healthcare and traffic, so make sure to get insurance at least.